Jacksonville, Florida - U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Jasper Lee Shields (59, Jacksonville) to 57 months in federal prison for aiding and abetting the attempted passing of counterfeit checks and for violating his supervised release. He pleaded guilty on Oct. 29, 2014.
According to court documents, on Feb. 26, 2014, the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle Shields was driving on Interstate 95, in Duval County, Florida. Larry Bernard Taylor was a passenger in the vehicle. When asked for a driver’s license, Shields stated that he did not have one. Shields subsequently provided consent for the FHP to search the vehicle, during which officers located 12 counterfeit business checks purportedly issued from Walgreens. The checks were made out to three different payees, in various amounts.
Taylor pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme in November 2014. He is scheduled for sentencing on February 9, 2015.
This case was investigated by United States Secret Service North Florida High-Tech Crime Task Force and the Florida Highway Patrol. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
